Identification and characterization of a highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus during an outbreak in vaccinated chickens in Egypt

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to be a major veterinary and public health problem in Egypt. Continued surveillance of these viruses is necessary to devise strategies to control the spread of the virus and to monitor its evolutionary patterns. This is a report of the identification of a variant strain of HPAI H5N1 virus during an outbreak in 2010 in vaccinated chicken flocks in a poultry farm in Assiut, Egypt. Vaccination of chickens with an oil-emulsified inactivated A/chicken/Mexico/232/94 (H5N2) vaccine induced high levels of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers reaching up to 9 log2. However, all flocks irrespective of the number of vaccine doses and the resultant HI titer levels came down with severe influenza infections. The qRT-PCR and rapid antigen test confirmed the influenza virus to be from H5N1 subtype. Sequencing of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene fragment from ten independent samples demonstrated that a single H5N1 strain was involved. This strain belonged to clade 2.2.1 and had several mutations in the receptor-binding site of the HA protein, thereby producing a variant strain of HPAI H5N1 virus which was antigenically different from the parent clade 2.2.1 virus circulating in Egypt at that time. In order to define the variability in HPAI H5N1 viruses over time in Egypt, we sequenced another H5N1 virus that was causing infections in chickens in 2014. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that both viruses had further distanced from the parent virus circulating during 2010. This study highlights that the antigenic mutations in HPAI H5N1 viruses represent a definitive challenge for the development of an effective vaccine for poultry. Overall, the results emphasize the need for continued surveillance of H5N1 outbreaks and extensive characterization of virus isolates from vaccinated and non-vaccinated poultry populations to better understand genetic changes and their implications.

Improved Measurement of the π→eν Branching Ratio

A new measurement of the branching ratio R_{e/μ}=Γ(π^{+}→e^{+}ν+π^{+}→e^{+}νγ)/Γ(π^{+}→μ^{+}ν+π^{+}→μ^{+}νγ) resulted in R_{e/μ}^{exp}=[1.2344±0.0023(stat)±0.0019(syst)]×10^{-4}. This is in agreement with the standard model prediction and improves the test of electron-muon universality to the level of 0.1%.

Child restraint use in Canadian provinces with and without legislation in 2010

OBJECTIVES

When used correctly, child safety seats reduce the risk of injury to a child passenger compared to seat belts. The objectives of this study are to (1) describe restraint use among Canadian children ages 4-8 years in 2010; (2) compare child safety seat use between provinces with new legislation (post-2006), old legislation (pre-2006), and without legislation; and (3) compare child safety seat use rates from 2006 to 2010.

METHODS

Roadside observational surveys of child restraint use were performed in 2006 and 2010 using a nationally representative stratified sample. Proportions of restraint use, correct use (i.e., child safety seats and booster seats) in 4- to 8-year-old children was examined between 3 groups: provinces with new legislation (i.e., child safety seat legislation that included implementation of specific legislation for booster seat use for child passengers ages 4-8 years), old legislation, and no legislation.

RESULTS

There were 4048 children observed as passengers in motor vehicles. In provinces with new legislation, 84 percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.2-90.8) of children were restrained compared to 94.9 percent (95% CI, 93.0-96.7) in provinces with old legislation, and 81.8 percent (95% CI, 77.3-86.3) in provinces without legislation. Correct use of child restraint was 54.1 percent (95% CI, 48.0-60.3) in provinces with new legislation, 29.5 percent (95% CI, 25.9-33.2) in provinces with old legislation, and 52.0 percent (43.0-61.0) in provinces without legislation in 2010.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study suggest that child safety seat legislation has an impact on restraint use in Canada. Despite the increase in rates of child safety seat use in provinces with new legislation and stable rates in provinces with old legislation, use rates remain low. Injury prevention strategies including further surveillance, interventions, and enforcement of restraint use in children are important to decrease motor vehicle related injury and death.

Effect of some medicinal plant extracts on the oxidative stress status in Alzheimer's disease induced in rats

BACKGROUND/AIM

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Increased oxidative stress has been shown to be a prominent and early feature in AD. Medicinal plants with antioxidant activities have been used traditionally in the treatment of several human diseases. The present study aims to investigate the effect of Salvia triloba and Piper nigrum plant extracts on the oxidative stress status in Alzheimer's disease induced in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

70 male rats were enrolled in this study and were classified into 7 groups (ten each). Group 1: control group, group 2: AD-induced rats by aluminum chloride, and served as positive control; group 3: AD group treated with Rivastigmine in a dose of 0.3 mg/kg b. wt. daily for three months; group 4 & 5: AD group treated with total extract of Salvia triloba in a dose of 750 or 375 mg/kg b. wt. respectively, daily for three months; group 6 & 7: AD group treated with total extract Piper nigrum in a dose of 187.5 or 93.75 mg/kg b. wt. respectively, daily for three months. After three months of treatment animals' sera and brain samples were collected. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined in serum while superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocyte. Brain samples were divided sagitally into two portions, the first portion was separated for determination of acetylcholine (Ach) and acetycholinesterase (AchE). The second portion was used for histopathological investigation.

RESULTS

The results indicated that extracts of Salvia triloba and Piper nigrum as well as Rivastigmine showed significant increase in brain Ach, serum TAC and SOD and significant decreases in brain AchE, MDA and NO in AD-induced rats. Moreover, histological investigation of brain sections showing nearly normal histological structure of hippocampus. Treatment with Salvia triloba in a dose of 750 mg/kg b. wt. was more powerful in protection from Alzheimer's disease than Piper nigrum, as indicated by both biochemical and histopathological findings.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the treatment of AD-induced rats with Salvia triloba and Piper nigrum, total plant extracts significantly reduced the oxidative stress status and ameliorates the neurodegeneration characteristic of Alzheimer's diseases in rats. Noteworthy, Salvia triloba extract showed more interest in improvement Alzheimer's disease in rats.

Enhancement of the in-vitro dissolution and in-vivo oral bioavailability of silymarin from liquid-filled hard gelatin capsules of semisolid dispersion using Gelucire 44/14 as a carrier

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to improve peroral bioavailability of the very poorly water-soluble hepatoprotectant silymarin through formation of semisolid dispersion (SD) system with Gelucire 44/14.

METHOD

Binary SD systems were prepared by the solvent-fusion method and confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The solubility and in vitro release at pH values of 1.2 and 7.4 were then determined. The pharmacokinetic parameters and relative bioavailability of orally administrated silymarin pure (SP), silymarin-Gelucire 44/14 SD (GL) capsules were assessed and compared to that of Hepaticum (silybin-cyclodextrin) capsules (CP) as a reference standard (RF) using New Zealand albino rabbits.

RESULTS

A linear increase in solubility of silymarin with respect to the weight fraction of the carrier has been observed.

RESULTS

The solubility of silymarin SD increased - 1.5-to-7-fold (relative to pure silymarin) at 1-to-15% of Gelucire 44/14 which in turn dramatically increased the dissolution rate of silymarin-Gelucire SD (91% within 10 min). The DSC study showed complete disappearance of the silymarin endothermic peak confirming formation of silymarin SD. In the bioavailability study, SD of silymarin with Gelucire 44/14 profoundly increased the AUC(0-12) and C(max) values (-13-fold relative to RS).

CONCLUSION

The solubility and dissolution pattern of silymarin were found to be carrier ratio dependent. Moreover, the in vitro solubility and dissolution data established very good correlation with the calculated in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters. The ratios between the mean AUC(0-12) for GL capsules and that of CP capsules was significantly higher (156.2%). However, the Tmax values of the three formulations remained eventually unchanged.

Recurrent bilateral orbital myositis: case report and review of the literature

Orbital myositis in children is uncommon. Recurrence is a major challenge in management. An 11-year-old Malay girl who presented with bilateral orbital myositis with recurrent attacks of diplopia is reported.

Managing non-response rates for the National Child Safety Seat Survey in Canada

BACKGROUND

Canada has a Road Safety Vision of having the safest roads in the world, yet vehicle crashes have remained the leading cause of death of Canadian children for a number of years.

OBJECTIVES

Determine the influence of high rates of non-participation on the estimates for correct use of safety seats for child occupants in vehicles. Examine the impact of three different criteria for determining correct safety seat use on the estimates of correct use of safety seats for children in Canada.

METHODS

A national child seat safety survey was conducted in 200 randomly selected sites across Canada that included both naturalistic observation of child seat safety use at intersections and a detailed vehicle inspection in nearby parking lots. Non-participation in the detailed parking lot study was high. This study reports on statistical methods for managing high rates of non-response and compared estimates of correct use using three different criteria.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Results revealed that high non-participation rates introduced bias into the raw estimates of correct safety seat use. Correct use estimates also varied substantially depending on which criterion (more stringent or less stringent) for correct use was applied in the analysis. When child age was the only criterion for correct use, estimates were higher than when more stringent criteria of child height and weight were applied to estimate rates of correct use. This study identifies the importance of managing high rates of non-response in safety seat observation studies using statistical techniques. Stringent criteria for correct use may provide more accurate estimates of the correct use of safety seats. Studies of child seat use in vehicles (using voluntary participation) may benefit from the use of naturalistic observation to capture non-participants' use of child occupant restraints, as it may more accurately estimate the rates of correct use in populations.